Conservancy workers besiege Kovai Collectorate for wage hike

COIMBATORE: More than 1,000 conservancy contract workers besieged the Collectorate pressing for a charter of 18 demands in Coimbatore on Monday.

It was their second day of indefinite protest demanding a daily wage of Rs 721 as fixed by the Collector a few years ago. The conservancy workers claimed that they are provided just around Rs 323 as wages per day now.

Refusing to give up their protest plan despite several rounds of talks by health wing officials of the Corporation, over 1,000 workers gathered before the district collector office in the morning on Monday.

As the protestors raised slogans, the police arrested around 250 workers, including 150 women. Mild tension prevailed as some had to be removed forcibly. Similarly, the conservancy workers in ESI Hospital boycotted work and staged a separate protest on the hospital premises.

Officials led by Collector GS Sameeran, Coimbatore Corporation Commissioner M Prathap and District Revenue Officer PS Leela Alex held talks with a team of representatives, but failed to arrive at a consensus. Due to the protest, garbage began to accumulate in several areas. However Corporation officials maintained that garbage is cleared through permanent staff.